Property firm slammed for use of <BR>semi-naked woman in ads

LONDON - The issue of sexist advertising has reared its head again, with an advertisement for riverside apartments in London, featuring a woman in underwear next to a clothed reclining man, being deemed "gratuitous" by the advertising watchdog.

The ad, created by AMD on behalf of St George Central London, showed a woman wearing a black bra, G-string, suspenders and stockings, holding up a dress in front of a man reclining on a sofa wearing a business suit. The ad read "The place to be indulged".



Complaints about the ad, which appeared in property supplements of the Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Times and the Evening Standard, said that it was sexist and gratuitous, with some even suggesting that the woman was posing in front of what seemed to be her client.



In its defence, the advertiser said that the image created by the ad was "unreal". It also argued that the claim, "The place to be indulged", was meant to to convey the apartments' proximity to King's Road.



The newspapers carrying the ad admitted it was in "questionable taste", but did not think readers would be seriously offended. However, the Advertising Standards Authority agreed with the 27 complainants and deemed the use of the semi-naked woman in conjunction with the headline gratuitous.



The advertiser has since reissued the ad with the woman clothed and said it would not use it again.



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